


The Garden

by CatFlorist



Category: Naruto
Genre: Blank Period, But also, Didn't Know They Were Dating, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon, Romance, Slow Burn, Smut, read this if all you want is for them to be happy, they garden together so what else could you ask for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:48:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25154221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatFlorist/pseuds/CatFlorist
Summary: Sasuke left Konoha for a cottage in the woods. One day, Sakura arrives injured at his doorstep. They recall their past and think about what comes next.Slow burn, post-canon about how Sasuke and Sakura grew close again.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke
Comments: 51
Kudos: 215
Collections: SASUSAKU





	1. Chapter 1

A clearing with a small cottage came into view in the dim evening light. The wound in Sakura’s side stung with blinding pain. With a flash of movement, her old teammate and friend stood before her like he’d always been there. Sakura panted with relief and exhaustion.

“What happened?” Sasuke demanded. He took in her blood-splattered clothing.

“I was on my way back to the village from an S-rank. I was ambushed,” Sakura began. She paused for a breath, gritting her teeth as a wave of pain became too great to bear. She clutched her side. With as much grace as she could muster, she began to lower her knees to the soft ground.

Startled, Sasuke darted out to catch her, slinging her arm around his neck and clasping her wrist to keep her steady.

“Why haven’t you healed yourself?” Sasuke realized too late that his voice came out harsh. It had been many years, if ever, that he had last seen her injured to this extent. He had taken her legendary healing abilities for granted. The sight of her blood disturbed him.

“I drained my seal on the mission,” Sakura explained. Sasuke felt a jolt as he eyed the mark on her brow.

Sakura closed her eyes. She had spent the past few weeks on a long and difficult mission. An unknown illness had befallen the entire capital city in the Mist. While her peers in medical ninjutsu scrambled for information and a cure, she drained the chakra stored in the seal on her forehead to save as many lived as she could. The immense responsibility to protect so many people, not to mention the physical tolls of healing at a large scale, had left her exhausted to her core and depleted of chakra.

Upon ambush during her journey back to Konoha, it took all her strength to evade the enemy shinobi and escape. With the last of her stored chakra, she patched up her wound just enough to keep her alive.

Sakura’s attempts to support her own weight were failing. She allowed herself to lean into Sasuke’s side. Without complaint he drew her closer.

Even through the dizziness of blood-loss, the exhaustion of a long mission, an unexpected battle and tricky escape, a part of Sakura’s mind registered the warmth of Sasuke’s body as he pressed her to himself.

Sasuke guided Sakura to the open door of the cottage. “Were you followed?” he asked.

Sakura didn’t answer, concentrating too hard on placing one foot after the other. She shook her head no.

Impatient with their pace, Sasuke bent and lifted her into his arms.

Sakura sounded a meek protest.

“It’s faster this way.” He sounded annoyed, and Sakura almost smiled. One hand still pressed against her wound, she fought to keep her eyes from closing.

She forced her eyes open and they were inside the cottage. Her head was heavy on Sasuke’s chest. Was that his heartbeat? She tried to listen but felt herself drifting…

The sway of being carried had stopped. Something firm but soft rose to meet her back.

Something was shaking her.

“Wake up,” Sasuke said. “I need to know if you can stop the bleeding. _Sakura._ ” His voice was sharp when he said her name, like he’d been speaking for a while before she had noticed.

She opened her eyes. The dim light of the evening had fallen to darkness. She was lying in a bed, Sasuke’s face hovering over her.

Sakura reached for her side. Her shirt had been carefully folded up to expose the injury. The wound was clean, but still bleeding. Her hand, which should have been stained with blood, was clean too. She felt for her chakra reserves.

“Almost enough chakra,” she said.

“How long?” he asked.

Her head swirled. Words didn't form.

A gentle shake of her shoulder nudged her to respond. “Maybe tomorrow.” He didn’t answer. “Don’t worry,” Sakura added. The wound had been worse earlier: a deep slash from a sharp kunai blade. She had managed to heal enough to avoid a dire risk to her life. She could last until tomorrow.

Sasuke offered his hand out to her. His palm hummed with violet chakra. Her eyes widened as she grew more alert. She hesitated in accepting the gift.

“Take it,” he pressed.

Sakura reached out and clutched his hand. She shivered.

Naruto’s warm, bubbly chakra had cloaked Sakura before. This was different. Sasuke’s chakra on the palm of her hand was lightning on the horizon prickling the hairs on the back of her neck. It was a cool storm approaching, leaves on trees turning over in anticipation.

His borrowed energy flowed into her, woke her up, warmed her.

Her small hand over his, she guided him to each site of pain. The principle was the same in the end. His chakra didn’t belong to her, but she directed it into her body anyway. She asked it to seal up her torn skin and muscle, asked it to heal. She stitched threads of him through the wound on her side, applied him like a salve to aches and bruises.

When it was done, she sank her head into the pillow placed behind her, dizzy in relief from the absence of pain.

She didn’t let go of his hand as she fell asleep. It was a long time before Sasuke moved away.

*

*

*

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first fic since 2012 (lol). Thank you so much for reading--Please leave a comment/kudos if you enjoyed!


	2. Chapter 2

True to the instincts of a traveling shinobi on constant alert, the instant Sakura opened her eyes in the morning light she was awake.

She spotted a pitcher of water and a wooden cup beside her bed, next to a platter of bread and a selection of fruit. Sitting up, the water was down her throat before she could even think. She filled the cup again and drank slower this time, testing out her limbs one by one. The location of her old wound was smooth as if it hadn’t been open and bleeding half a day before. Except for an ache in her skull, not a whisper of pain remained in her body.

After quenching her thirst, Sakura reached for the food and began chewing. Her eyes fell upon a third offering next to her bedside: a folded pile of clothes. Her skin twitched under its layer of grime, dirt, and blood. She vowed to bathe before dressing in the clean clothes.

Basic needs met, Sakura shifted her attention to her surroundings. The interior of the cottage was small, with tall ceilings, and built in the traditional style. Except for hand-carvings decorating the door and window frames, there were no frills. Leaves pressed up against windows and morning light dappled the room. The sound of nearby moving water and the smell of dried wood soothed her senses.

Sakura sorted through the clothes Sasuke had left. There were loose pants and a shirt that were clearly his. A rough bar of soap. He had even thought of underthings: a pair of cropped shorts, wrappings for her chest snatched from a medical kit and coiled in a careful bundle. Heat prickled her cheeks as she eyed the last two items.

The events of yesterday filtered through her mind. She stilled, remembering the sensation of Sasuke’s chakra coursing through her, healing her. The soft weight of his hand on her skin.

Sakura could not believe she was here. Part of her had expected never to see Sasuke again.

Sakura couldn’t help it: she thought back to months ago, before he decided to leave the village for the third time.

* * * *

Once Sakura learned how to read the signs of Sasuke’s friendship, they were everywhere.

As Genin, after her one-sided infatuation with Sasuke had transformed into mutual respect and understanding, she learned the subtle ways in which he expressed his affection. He always listened when she spoke, even if he sometimes only responded with silence, a grunt, or a rare smirk. When it was his turn to cook on Team Seven missions, he reserved the crispy crust of rice at the bottom of the pot—the _okoge_ —for her. She could never recall informing him of this preference. As they learned how to fight, he corrected her form and technique without mercy, but scowled at Naruto if he also commented on Sakura’s performance. Racked with the pain of Orochimaru’s curse mark during the Chunin exams, he had reached desperately for her hand and squeezed.

She could never reconcile these old memories of Sasuke with the memories of him that gave her nightmares. Those jerked her out of sleep, shaking and convinced he was still pressing a kunai blade to her neck.

When Sasuke returned to the village after his period of wandering, they had both grown and changed. As Genin on Team Seven, common experiences, hopes, and fears united them.

Now they were both adults, each defined by experiences and efforts that were unknown to the other. They had been enemies. Sakura didn’t know how to be around him anymore.

*

Sakura left the hospital late one night.

In the cool night air, her heart leap with joy and pride. Another group of students training under her in medical ninjutsu had graduated that day and joined her growing cohort. Sakura was committed to Tsunade’s dream of lowering the mortality rate on missions by dispatching a medical-nin with each team. Slowly but surely, she was increasing the number of shinobi in the village with medical knowledge.

Sasuke rounded the corner of the empty street. Sakura nearly jumped. She was still not used to the sight of him in the village. He had returned to Konoha a month ago in the spring. They had not spoken much.

He nodded at her, acknowledging her presence. She nodded back. That concluded the normal extent of their interactions. But Sakura was in a good mood, so she called, “You’re out late tonight.”

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at her. “You’re one to talk,” he observed. He continued walking.

Sakura squinted at his back. She kept waiting to detect the familiar note of contempt in this voice. She had yet to do so. This was also new.

*

Sasuke didn’t sleep much these days. His body still craved the movement and discomfort of constant travel. After dark, he wandered the streets of the village until exhaustion came.

On one of these nights, Sakura stood on the steps of the hospital as he passed by. He wasn’t shocked to see her here so late—talk of her accomplishments expanding the Konoha medical system were everywhere since he came back to the village.

Sakura was different. This was already clear when they fought briefly together during the war. Back then she had stunned him on the battlefield with the full extent of her strength and power. She had grown fierce and confident. Holding back no emotion, she lashed out at him in passionate anger. She cried over his wounded body and healed him without hesitating. She asked him not to go. She did not accept his apology.

Now, all of Sakura’s strong feelings seemed to be gone. She did not avoid him when they crossed paths, but she did not seek him out.

A clear joy marked her face tonight. For a moment, there was no difference between Sakura now and the Sakura he knew as a child. A part of Sasuke stilled, realizing how little of herself she showed to him now. It was just a fact. He was not allowed to have an opinion on the matter.

She greeted him.

Later, Sasuke felt light in his bed. He slept. 

*

If a third party like Naruto had initiated the contact, Sakura and Sasuke politely spent time together. It seemed one commonality they still shared was a penchant to please Naruto.

To Naruto’s clear delight, his friendship with Sasuke had picked up without skipping a beat. The two of them fell back into their friendly competitiveness. They sparred for hours on end. They bickered with what might closely be described as affection. Sakura had even seen Naruto tease a smile out of Sasuke. Despite her guardedness towards Sasuke, Sakura softened in those moments. She did want him to be happy.

Naruto had dragged a group to Ichiraku’s. Lee wept solemn tears over a portrait that Sai had presented to him. Hinata, Ino, and Choji watched horrified as Naruto slurped ramen at a frightening speed. Sasuke was there.

Sakura was in a bad mood.

“Is it Ito-sama again?” Naruto asked, watching Sakura slam her bowl down, sloshing broth on the counter.

Sakura glanced around Ichiraku’s to make sure it was just them.

She let out a deep breath. “He won’t increase my training budget,” Sakura complained. Ito-sama on the village council praised her for training the next generation of medical shinobi yet refused her the resources she needed to do her work. It was infuriating. “I don’t know what else I’m supposed to do.”

“Maybe it’s because your hair is getting too long. You could cut it again,” Ino suggested.

The others laughed, recalling Sakura’s dramatic haircut during the Chunin exams years ago. It was funny precisely because the moment illustrated Sakura’s creativity and determinism in the face of a challenge. They knew she would find a way out of this bind.

“Get your scissors, Ino,” Choji called.

“Don’t think I won’t do it again,” Sakura kindly threatened the group.

“I’m afraid for the council,” Naruto gulped. He clung to Hinata.

Amid the banter, Sasuke’s eyes met hers, wary and watchful.

Half-asleep in bed that night, she remembered Sasuke’s reaction. In the moment, she found it odd. Another thought occurred to her now.

Sasuke lacked the context of their conversation. He didn’t know the details of Sakura’s recent work lobbying the council. He was not familiar with Ino’s language of teasing.

He only knew the shared memory. In the same fight where Sakura had sliced off her own hair, Sasuke released the dark power of his curse mark against the people who hurt her. He had done this to protect her. It was also the first step he had taken away from her. The first moment he had tasted the power that tempted him away from the village.

It was possible he wanted to see whether she had been upset.

Sakura was wide awake.

*

Sakura sat on the steps of the hospital. The moon was up high. She had just recruited a new cohort of students and stayed late to finalize the details. She was exhausted.

When Sasuke rounded the corner, irritation ticked in her stomach.

Her indifference to him faltered then. “Leaving again?” she jested, even though it was clear he was taking a walk. How dare he disturb her solitude when all she wanted was to be alone?

How dare he worry whether she was upset?

Sasuke halted. He didn’t scowl, but he was not happy.

Sakura felt calm. This was familiar territory. She prepared for his retort.

Then his features shifted. He grunted a short, “No.”

Sakura let up.

“All right,” she sighed. “Good night.”

He stood silent for a while. Sakura’s brow furrowed. She could never tell what he was thinking.

Head turned away, Sasuke finally said, “Good night, Sakura.”

*

It was the middle of summer. Sakura was busy. When she wasn’t teaching her team, she worked to establish policies at the academy and hospital that made medical training mandatory in the teaching of all shinobi. She fought with the village council. She also worked her regular shifts at the hospital. And trained her own abilities. Naruto wailed at her busy schedule and started inviting himself over to her apartment in the evenings.

“It’s important to spend time together, Sakura-chan,” he insisted, arriving unannounced at her door the first time. “You’re too busy.”

She loved the time with Naruto. He sometimes brought Ichiraku take-out, or instant-ramen which he enhanced with poorly chopped green onions. In return she coaxed him to eat her health-conscious meals. Sometimes Ino or Hinata joined, or members of the medical team that Sakura trained.

Then one day Naruto brought Sasuke.

The first time, she struggled to keep a straight face when she saw him at the door behind Naruto.

At the door, Naruto exclaimed, “Whatever you’re cooking smells great! Oh, yeah, I thought it was about time we had Sasuke over! That’s okay, right Sakura-chan?”

“I thought she knew we were coming,” Sasuke mumbled to Naruto, who was already bounding past them and removing his shoes.

“Oh.” Sakura said. “Well—”

Sasuke glanced down the hallway. Sakura realized he was waiting for her cue. One downward shift of the mouth or brow and he would go.

On a different night, on many nights, Sakura might have given him that cue, and he would have left.

“—the rice is almost ready,” Sakura finished. She opened the door wider.

Tonight, she didn’t want him to leave.

Sasuke paused, then crossed into the apartment.

It was strange to see him in the same landscape where she lived her daily life. He sat on the couch next to Naruto, head turned to read the titles on her bookshelf. Naruto’s friendliness and chatter kept silence and Sakura’s nerves at bay. Though Sasuke had never been a conversationalist, he was listening. And when nudged enough, he chipped in.

Naruto was laughing. “Sakura, you always had the best chakra control out of all of us. I couldn’t believe it when you first walked up that tree.”

Sakura smiled, remembering the feeling of chakra pooling on the soles of her feet for the first time. As natural as breathing, she ran up the bark of that tall tree into the sky. Her world had changed.

“Sasuke was so mad!” Naruto shoved Sasuke with his shoulder. “You had to ask me how she did it.”

Sakura didn’t know this.

“You weren’t a very good teacher,” Sasuke grumbled in response.

For the first time that evening, Sakura let her gaze rest on Sasuke for longer than a polite glance. He was busy scowling at Naruto. The tips of his ears were pink.

“Maybe,” Sakura retorted, “you should have asked me first.”

The corners of Sasuke’s mouth twitched.

“Maybe I should have,” he answered. His quiet voice contained a tease.

The night had gone well.

* * * *

Sakura’s eyes refocused. She picked up the bundle of clothes, slid open the door to outside, and followed the sound of the water.

*****

*****

*****

*****


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Reference:** The moment where Sasuke tells Sakura what he’s heard of her abilities was inspired heavily by a scene in _Folklore_ by the author BlushingLotus--you can find their writing on FFN. Thank you so much to BlushingLotus for your inspiration.
> 
> Thank you for reading everyone! Please leave kudos/comment if you enjoyed. :)

Sasuke awoke in the cool forest shade.

The trees parted into a clearing ahead of him. He could see the scars of his earlier training session marring the landscape. Several trees bore scorch marks while others lay fallen. The scent of burning wood and electricity still hovered in the air.

He hadn’t slept well last night. He dozed off against the wall, jerking awake every hour to check the status of his unexpected guest. She managed to sleep through the night. At the first sign of dawn, he left her water, food, and clothes, then slipped out of the house into the growing morning.

He came to the clearing and trained until exhaustion finally took him.

After training and sleeping, there was nothing more he could do to distract himself. He gave in to his thoughts.

* * * *

At some point, Sasuke began to show up alone to her apartment.

The first time she wasn’t home. On the way there, he had tried hard not to dwell on where he was going. Now facing an unyielding door, he instantly felt stupid and childish. Because no one was there to see, he let his face sour.

He turned to leave. But Sakura was there in the hallway, balancing groceries and her keys.

“Sasuke?” sounded her confused voice. He faced her, unsure of what he wanted to say. Sakura appraised him with her curious eyes, pausing to take note of his expression.

Sometimes he thought that she saw too clearly. That her eyes were more skilled in looking than his.

“Do you want to come in?” she asked.

She didn’t ask him to justify his presence. Still, he said, “I just finished training. I was wondering…I have some pain in my shoulder.”

She shook her keys. “Can you help with the door?”

Sasuke sat on Sakura’s couch. Without blinking, she asked him to take off his shirt. She examined him. “It’s a rhomboid strain. A bad one,” she declared. Sasuke exhaled as her healing chakra infused into his skin, unknotting his muscles, refreshing his cells. One of her hands grasped the top of his shoulder for the leverage she needed.

Sasuke felt the moment the pain ebbed. He itched to roll his shoulder, test his mobility, but her hand was still there. And it seemed to have been there longer than was strictly necessary.

Then all too soon her touch vanished.

“That was a bad injury. You should have come to me sooner,” she scolded. 

He had no right to want anything from her. But it was a relief to be the target of her anger again.

Sasuke turned.

“Next time,” he promised.

*

Sasuke trained and fought hard enough that there were plenty of opportunities to seek out Sakura’s expertise. He visited again for a pain in the knee, then again for another shoulder strain. Then again for a different affliction. The summer went on.

Sasuke waited for Sakura to point out the obvious. Her work was quick. She often sent Sasuke away in less time than it had taken for him to arrive. Instead of unplanned evening visits to her apartment, with no guarantee she would be home, he should visit the village hospital for more immediate and reliable treatment. But Sakura never suggested this alternative.

One evening in late summer, Sakura opened the door still clad in hospital gear. The skin around her eyes were tight. Clearly something had happened during her shift.

She skipped greetings. “Can you wait? I need to shower.”

Sasuke sat on her couch. He had been to her apartment several times now, but never had an opportunity alone to take it in. When the whole team was here they normally ate in the kitchen at a table Sakura had pushed against the wall. The three of them crowded the tiny room. A short hallway on the other end of the kitchen led to the bathroom where Sakura showered and the closed door of a bedroom Sasuke had never seen.

Sakura’s living room was sparse save for a crammed bookshelf. Sasuke surveyed her collection. There were thick medical textbooks with frayed covers. Old scrolls that threatened to disintegrate into dust. A short selection of fiction. Many picture frames, smiling faces beaming at him. Through her selection of photos, Sasuke watched Sakura’s shinobi teammates grow up over the years. He learned how Naruto’s jaw had sharpened in the particular way it did.

Sakura herself was absent from many photos. Finally, he found one of her as a young teenager, an age at which he never knew her. It was a team photo featuring the reprised Team Seven—Sakura, Naruto, Sai, and Captain Yamato. Sakura wasn’t smiling. Her eyes were fierce.

A frame on a bottom shelf caught his attention. The frame was dusty and askew on the shelf like it had been jostled a long time ago and never straightened. He knew what the photo would be before even looking at it. Sasuke dimly registered the sound of water shutting off as he bent down for a closer inspection. He stared down at Naruto’s wide grin, Sakura’s soft smile, and his own dissatisfied face. In this photo of Team Seven as Genin, Sakura was the same age that she was in his last real memories of her.

A soft rustle alerted him to Sakura’s presence. Sasuke’s head snapped up just as she spoke. “You’re still here,” she noted, almost to herself. “You were so quiet I thought you left.”

Sakura leaned against the entrance to the living room, her hair wet and feet bare. Sasuke placed the frame back on the shelf and stood up. His stomach churned at being caught in this act, but he didn’t know why.

“I’m still here,” he repeated.

Sakura’s head tilted. She offered, “I can take a look at you now.”

She didn’t speak or look up as she healed him. The light of her green healing chakra dissipated. Sasuke pulled on his shirt. Without warning, Sakura said, “I lost a patient today.”

She leaned forward then, balancing elbows on knees, and held her tired face. “I’m training the next generation of medical shinobi,” she stated. To his surprise, her voice was clear and even. “I’m transforming how medicine works in this village. I’ve saved many lives. And I’ve lost many. I remember them all. It never gets easier.”

Sasuke didn’t know what to do. Curled over herself like that, it would be the easiest thing to reach out and place a hand on her back. Sasuke didn’t move even as her posture cried out for a comforting touch. He was all too aware that the most recent times he had decided to touch her, it was to hurt her.

Sasuke found himself speaking. “When I was…” he trailed off. Sasuke wondered how to phrase what he wanted to say. He decided not to insult her by beating around the bush.

“I spent two years with Orochimaru and Kabuto at their hideout near Kusagakure,” he said plainly. “They had many spies. They brought back word to us of a medical shinobi whose knowledge and abilities might pose a threat.” Sasuke stared down at his clasped hands. “We heard you were well-admired by many across the land.”

Sakura was silent for a long time. Sasuke wondered if he had upset her by bringing up the past. They had never spoken about all the years he spent seeking vengeance during his leave of absence from the village. For that matter, they hadn’t spoken much at all since he had come back.

She leaned back against the couch cushions and closed her eyes.

“You know, Sasuke,” Sakura said, “you can come see me even when you’re not injured.”

She smiled a tired smile. It was a bit of a smirk. Sasuke realized she was teasing him, finally poking through precarity of their arrangement. It was a night for honesty.

He grumbled in response, “Hm.”

A force gripping his heart unclenched.

* * * *

Sasuke snapped back to the present.

He stretched, glanced at the sun in the sky, and knew it was time to walk back.

*

*

*

*


	4. Chapter 4

Sakura plunged into the deep, slow river. She crouched, the water level over her mouth, and remained motionless in the current. This was the first moment she had alone to herself with no fear of danger since she had left the village weeks ago. She couldn’t bring herself to move for a long time, hypnotized by the sensation of moving water on her skin.

After enough time had passed Sakura began to wash herself. She loosened the mud and dirt on her scalp, scrubbed the dried blood on her arms, soothed the bug-bites and scratches on her legs. Her tangled hair demanded attention. She used her fingers to brush out, letting the cold water sweep away fallen strands.

When she was clean, she dressed in Sasuke’s clothes. The sun felt too good on her skin to cover up completely. With nowhere to go, she allowed herself the luxury of dressing only half-way. She covered her chest with the wrappings Sasuke had given her but left his shirt folded on the stone where she sat.

She wondered when he would appear.

* * * *

Sakura had dropped her guard the last time Sasuke visited.

She didn’t know why she told him of her troubles. Maybe he was only there at the right moment. Or maybe Sakura knew, that as someone intimate with loss, he would understand how she felt.

He did understand. He had tried to comfort her—and it worked. There was a frankness to their conversation that had never existed before. For the first time, he talked about the time he had been gone. For the first time, Sakura asked him not to stay away.

She began to wonder when she would see him next.

Sasuke’s visits became routine throughout the summer and into the fall. Heeding Sakura’s advice, he arrived both with and without injuries. He took to dozing off on her couch, hands behind his head, while Sakura studied or read. Sometimes hours passed like this.

One night he arrived while Sakura was making dinner. Without being asked, Sasuke gripped the handle of the frying pan sizzling with fish.

As they ate, Sakura sulked. “You got a better crisp on the skin than I would have.”

Sasuke lifted his chin. He smiled. Sakura’s heart picked up.

They fell into cooking together. Sasuke rediscovered the small pleasure he once gained from cooking food over a fire as a Genin. Back then, Sakura would scrape at the bottom of the pot to release crunchy bits of scorched rice. He remembered how pleased she was when he began preparing the rice to generate a perfect crust each time.

One time he made the rice. When he placed the _okoge_ on the table, delight lit up her face. At the sight of her unrestrained smile, something inside him unraveled.

He took charge of the rice every time after.

*

They started to fill in the gaps of their knowledge of each other.

Sasuke told her about his recent travels. He was articulate when the need arose, but too curt to be a good storyteller. He described settings, people, and events in succinct detail, but never touched on his own thoughts and feelings. He had to pause often to answer Sakura’s questions. Sometimes a comfortable silence fell over the two of them, and Sakura brewed a pot of tea.

Sometimes he asked her questions. What was she doing before the war? When did she begin training with Tsunade? How had she become Konoha’s leader in medical ninjutsu? What did she want to do next? Sasuke’s curiosity startled her. He wanted to know everything, and he was still a great listener.

*

Once, Sakura dared to ask him a question she had wondered for years.

“Sasuke…” Sakura started. “What was that time like for you?” She did not mean his recent travels.

Sasuke considered. He wanted to be honest with her. 

During that time, Sasuke didn’t care about anything but his revenge. Blind with pain and rage, he would do anything for it. Yet he could not claim that he was lost. To do so implied that a part of him was not in control of his actions.

He knew what he was doing each time he caused destruction and inflicted pain. He knew what he was doing when he held a kunai to Sakura’s throat.

Sasuke had changed, yet he was still that person. His clan was still gone. His pain would never go away. His trust in the shinobi world would never return. Sasuke simply had grown unwilling to hurt the people dear to him.

He didn’t know how to say any of this.

“It was like being gone,” Sasuke said. “I forgot many things. What I liked and disliked. But…I wasn’t really gone. I knew what I was doing. I was awake the whole time.” He looked at her, to make sure she knew what he meant.

Sakura did. She waited to see if he would say more. He didn’t.

“Did traveling help?” she asked.

“A bit. It helped me to remember.” he said. “It also helped…to think about how my old friendships used to be. With Naruto. And you.”

“Not old friendships,” Sakura insisted. “We are friends now too.”

*

Team Seven dinners continued in Sakura’s comfortable apartment. After eating one winter night, the three of them traveled from Sakura’s tiny kitchen into her less tiny living room.

In the living room, Naruto and Sakura shared the couch. Sasuke had pulled a chair in from the kitchen. Warm lamplight illuminated the room. A half-empty bottle of sake and empty glasses decorated the low coffee table.

Naruto guzzled down the last of his drink. Sakura fought to keep her eyes open while referencing a passage in her medical textbook.

Naruto slammed down his empty glass. His head lolled back onto the couch cushion. “Okay, now I’m drunk,” he declared. “Sakura, stop working.”

“I have to check this one thing,” she mumbled, her eyes closed.

Naruto gave up on her. “Sasuke, are _you_ drunk?”

Sasuke was not. He stood up to clear the glasses. Sakura stirred and closed her textbook, reaching to help. Sasuke waved her away.

“You’re being a very nice person lately,” Naruto observed, watching their wordless communication.

“I am not a nice person,” Sasuke denied. He walked into the kitchen and piled the old dishes from the table into the sink. Sakura was out of soap. He opened the cabinet where he knew she kept it.

Naruto’s voice was loud despite the running water. “Sakura, when did Sasuke start being so nice?”

Sasuke paused in scrubbing a plate.

He heard Sakura yawn. “Sasuke-kun’s always been nice to me.”

This comment was not true by any means. But alone in the kitchen, he smiled into the sink.

She had called him Sasuke- _kun_.

* * * *

Sasuke had tried hard not to touch these memories since he came to the cottage. But Sakura had materialized on his doorstep, seeking his aid and protection. At this very moment, she might still be asleep in his bed. It was impossible not to think about her, to imagine what she might say to him.

Emerging from the trees, Sasuke saw her then, sitting framed by the shining river.

Sakura stood up.

Her hair dripped from a recent bath, beads of water tracing down her damp skin. He stared. She was wearing only the pants and chest wrappings he had left out for her. In the long gap where the bindings ended, and the waistband of her pants began, lay the smooth expanse of her stomach.

For a brief, slipping moment, as he studied her, he wondered if he’d only imagined her injuries. The gash was gone. The shine had returned to her eyes, the strength to her limbs.

She waited for him to approach.

*

*

*

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading everyone! Please leave comments/kudos if you enjoyed :)


	5. Chapter 5

They faced each other on the riverbank.

“You’re better,” Sasuke noted.

In the bright light, Sasuke’s face looked younger than Sakura remembered. She broke out into a giddy smile. It had been a long time since they’d seen each other.

“Thanks to you,” Sakura said. “I’m glad I knew where to find you.” Escaping the enemy ambush, Sakura had trekked miles out of her way to find to this hidden spot.

Sasuke gestured for her to follow. She paused to don the shirt he had given her then trailed after him. He led her back to the cottage, through a short gate into a well-tended vegetable garden. They sat down at a gnarled wooden table with four equally worn chairs. A bed of colorful flowers grew nearby in the full sun. Birds lighted on the fence and took off again.

“Tell me what happened,” Sasuke said.

Sakura told him. He let her speak. As she recalled the past few weeks, she examined him. He frowned as he listened to her story, tracing a knot in the table with his long fingers. It was an unconscious but familiar motion learned from many hours of sitting in this spot.

She finished up the story. “I was almost out of chakra when I finally made it here. I don’t know where I would’ve been otherwise…somewhere in the forest.” Sakura paused, testing her chakra level. “I would’ve been ready to heal myself just about now. Sasuke—” Sasuke stopped tracing the table. Sakura decided to be blunt. “When you told me where you’d be, I didn’t expect to ever come here. I hope you know. I made sure I wasn’t followed.”

“I know,” Sasuke said.

“It’s beautiful here,” Sakura said. “I’m happy this is where you are.”

She looked down at the flowers. Sakura imagined him with his hands in the dark soil—planting the flowers, tending to errant weeds—fully a part of this peaceful place.

“Would you like some tea?” Sasuke asked.

* * * *

One night, Sakura was examining a burn on Sasuke’s chest, the mark of a rogue flame from his fireball jutsu. The injury was painful, but Sasuke had waited to see her.

Sakura pressed her palm to his chest, soothing the burn. She frowned in concentration. As the green glow of her healing chakra illuminated her face, Sasuke asked a question. “Tell me why you learned to heal.”

She remained silent for a while. He wondered if he shouldn’t have asked this type of question. His previous line of questioning sought only facts. This question asked after her thoughts and motivations.

“Naruto was away,” Sakura started. “You were gone.” She made the distinction: Naruto was away, to return a later time. Sasuke was gone. She continued, “I asked Tsunade to teach me. I trained and studied every day. In order to save people, I needed to be strong.” Her mouth hardened. “I needed to be strong for many reasons.”

Sakura usually thought out loud. She meandered as she spoke, taking her time, stringing rich imagery and ideas together with enjoyment. She was eloquent with no extra effort.

Sasuke immediately felt the difference from her normal speech pattern. Her sentences were short and to the point. They were thick with emotion. She had answered the how but sidestepped the why.

Her hand dropped from his bare chest. The pain afflicting him all day had disappeared. Every time he showed up at her door, she eased his pain. She took it away like it was nothing. What had he done to deserve the peace she granted him?

Sasuke longed to touch her. Normally a master in discipline, he could not control himself now. Lifting one hand, he touched the mark on her forehead.

Sakura was still. She was afraid that if she even breathed, he would stop touching her.

He traced a slow path from her forehead to her jaw. He did it once again.

Sakura made no move to push him away nor to encourage him. She let him touch her for as long as he liked.

He cupped her face, watching her lips part open. If he moved his thumb, he might brush her lower lip.

Sasuke dropped his hand. He felt he should say something. He said the only thing that felt true. “You are stronger than me.” Then he whispered, “I have not been good to you.”

Sakura did not respond. She could not deny this.

“I’m so sorry.” Sasuke burned with shame. Before he could turn his face, Sakura caressed his cheek. She brushed away his wet tears.

Sakura muttered in her gentle voice, “All is forgiven.”

Sasuke’s heart fluttered under the weight of her forgiveness, from her tender touch. He reached for her. Her arms wrapped around him. A head settled in the crook of his neck. They were very close. Closer than they’d ever been.

They held each other until his shaky breaths quieted.

That night in the vast and empty Uchiha compound, Sasuke couldn’t sleep.

Sakura tossed in her bed.

*

The three of them stood in Sakura’s living room. It was winter, and Sasuke had just told them he was leaving Konoha again.

“But why are you leaving?” Naruto demanded.

“I want to focus on my training elsewhere,” Sasuke responded.

“Where are you going?”

Sasuke didn’t answer.

Naruto was upset. He argued with Sasuke, but Sasuke remained sedate and firm. He had made up his mind.

While they argued, Sakura retreated to her bedroom. She lied on top of her blankets and listened to Naruto’s loud voice, Sasuke’s quiet one. Eventually the door to her apartment slammed.

Footsteps approached her. Sasuke entered her bedroom for the first time. Cool night air flowed in from an open window and rustled sheer curtains. Sakura sat up on the edge of her bed.

“Do you want to know the truth?” Sasuke asked.

Sakura realized she had been waiting for this. “Yes.”

Sasuke sat on the bed next to her, hesitating. Then he told her everything.

Sakura learned about the Uchiha clan. The shinobi world, which had both enabled and benefitted from the clan’s slaughter. Itachi, forced into an impossible choice. The Konoha leaders who had made the decision once and if necessary would do it again.

Sakura knew the truth.

Sasuke wasn’t done. “I received word from the village elders. They are wondering when I plan to settle down and restore my clan.”

Sakura’s face was still glazed in tears. “They want more Sharingan eyes,” she guessed.

It didn’t need to be said. Sasuke’s dark face already confirmed her suspicions.

“I—I can’t stay here,” he said. “I need to think. I’m going to an old safe house owned by my family.” He told her where it was. “It’ll be hidden under a genjutsu. If you need me, you can find it.”

She didn’t know when this trust had formed, but it meant everything to her.

“When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

“Would you like to sleep here tonight?” she asked. There was no time left for Sakura to feel shy. There was no time left to deny that in the evenings she waited to hear his knock on her door, and he waited for her to let him in. They had grown used to each other.

They shared her bed. Sakura faced away from him, curled on her side. Sasuke lay still on his back. They had slept near each other under the stars as Genin. This was different.

Eventually, Sasuke’s arm wrapped around her. His head pressed into the back of her neck. He exhaled, his breath on her skin.

Sakura wondered what his lips would feel like. She rolled to face him. He was looking at her. She moved closer. She placed an arm over him. Her lips grazed the skin of his throat. Her hand curled at the base of his skull, tugging at strands of his hair.

In a haze, lulled by the warmth of her body and the scent of her skin, Sasuke wondered how he could have kept her waiting for so long. He touched his lips to her hair.

Sakura’s head lifted. Her face rested inches from his.

Unable to wait any longer, Sasuke pulled her into a kiss.

Sakura had imagined this moment many times and wondered now if she had slipped into a dream. Each and every small movement of his lips against hers sent shivers down her spine. When she began to return his kisses, a soft murmur of bliss escaped him.

They kissed slowly, each fearful that a movement too sudden, a sound too loud, might break the tender spell.

Eventually, Sakura leaned back in his arms, and they parted. Her lips were puffy from kissing.

Sasuke had never liked being touched. Somehow, Sakura’s touch only soothed him. When he was with her, he felt present and still. He could sleep after he talked to her. In the quiet, half-light, Sasuke admitted, “I’ve wanted this for a long time.”

There was a lightness to Sasuke’s eyes, a smoothness to his brow, that Sakura had never seen before. “You know I have too,” she said. Sasuke awarded her a soft smile. She settled into his embrace.

Some time passed. Sasuke thought she was asleep. Then he heard her sigh, “I’m going to miss you, Sasuke-kun.”

* * * *

Sasuke was measuring tea leaves inside the house when he glanced up and saw Sakura through the window.

She had turned in her chair, her back facing him. He stared until a hiss of steam announced the boiling water.

Her back, under her borrowed shirt, was marked with the Uchiha crest.

*

*

*

*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) finally a kiss.
> 
> please let me know if you enjoyed with a kudo/comment!! <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rating changes to M for the second half of this chapter.

Sasuke placed the pot of tea on the table and sat down.

Sakura couldn’t help it—she reached out for his hand. “I didn’t know if I was ever going to see you again,” she said. Tears sprang to her eyes.

Sasuke pressed her hand to his mouth.

Sakura’s chair fell back as she leapt up. She needed to feel his arms around her. Sasuke stood up just as fast.

They embraced. Sasuke muttered into her hair, “Sakura.”

The tea grew cold.

Later, he showed her the garden.

* * * *

Sasuke left.

Winter turned to spring again, then summer.

Sakura carried on her duties. Her influence and accomplishments were known to all in the village. She met with the elders on the village council to discuss her ideas to improve the Konoha medical system and to implement policies that dispatched medical shinobi on future missions. She stepped closer to fulfilling Tsunade’s dream. The council sung her praises. Ito-sama finally increased her training budget. Remembering what Sasuke had told her, she could not look them fully in the eyes.

At night, she thought about how the village could become a welcoming place for the Uchiha clan. What would need to happen for Sasuke to come back.

Only Naruto understood. Eating a quiet dinner together, he said, “You two were getting close again.”

She reached out for Naruto’s embrace, and sobbed like she was thirteen.

The prospect of an S-rank mission opened up for Sakura. A mysterious illness in the Mist. The council resisted at first in sending her. They could not afford to lose Sakura. Eventually, they relented. Sakura went.

* * * *

Sasuke showed her how he transferred seedlings to the earth. He tilled up the garden bed. Sakura helped him poke holes into the fluffy heaps of soil. He planted each delicate seedling with the same grave attention one might employ to sharpen a sword, hands careful and firm. They searched for ripe vegetables among the garden rows, filling up a basket for dinner. Sakura watered the thirsty flowers. A cat slunk out from the greenery and curled around Sasuke’s ankle, then darted into the forest.

Sasuke took Sakura around the cottage and into the forest until they came across a fallen log. Pulling aside the green growth, he revealed its hollow interior and the spot where a litter of kittens had been hidden. The same cat materialized to hiss at Sakura, then purred at Sasuke before disappearing into her hiding place. Sakura beamed with delight.

Sakura knew Sasuke’s pain was a part of him. Denying that denied him. But now the pain did not seem to define him as much. With his hands in the garden, with the cool shade of the forest on his face, she saw a Sasuke at peace.

They cooked dinner together just like they used to.

As the day faded, so did their lightheartedness. Sakura could not keep her thoughts at bay. It was too easy to pretend they could share this peaceful life.

*

Night had fallen. They sat beside each other on Sasuke’s bed, knees touching. It was time to talk.

Sakura broke the silence. “What is next, Sasuke?”

Sasuke’s head bowed, dark eyelashes resting on his cheeks. “I have a choice to make,” he said. “I return to the village and restore my clan. But the village will want control of the Sharingan.” His lip curled. “Just like Itachi, my children will never know peace. The pain of my clan will go on. Or…” He gritted his teeth. “Or Uchiha line ends with me.”

Sakura couldn’t swallow the lump in her throat.

He was quiet for a long time. “Here in the woods, in the garden, I don’t have to make a choice yet. I don’t have to be the last Uchiha. I don't have to consider a future where the village controls and hurts my children.”

Sakura grasped both of his hands. “That will never happen,” she said. “It can’t happen.” Her voice was almost a snarl. Like she would personally ensure this. Like she already had a part in it.

Sasuke told her, “You’ve always been the only one for me.”

He knew it would only make it harder when she had to leave. But he needed to say it.

Sakura only needed to nod once. He already knew how she felt.

Something in the air changed.

Sakura kissed him, hard.

Sasuke tugged her into his lap. He leaned forward to deepen the kiss. A buzz filled Sakura’s ears. She tightened her legs around him. She pressed hungry kisses to his mouth. His teeth pulled on her bottom lip, rougher than she expected. A small whimper escaped her. At the sound of her pleasure, heat pooled into Sasuke’s stomach. He slipped his tongue into her mouth.

They exchanged open-mouthed kisses until Sasuke couldn’t hold back his own gasps. His head fell backwards as he caught his breath.

Sakura placed a trail of wet kisses down his exposed throat. She bit the skin where his neck met his shoulder, moved up to capture his earlobe in her mouth.

Groaning, Sasuke slipped his hand under her shirt, feeling her strong back, then her smooth stomach. Her breath caught as he approached her breasts. He was already hard and straining against the fabric of his pants.

He cupped her breasts, enjoying the way they filled his hands. Through her bindings, he teased her nipples into hard nubs. Sakura gripped Sasuke’s shirt by the hem and lifted it over his head. He reciprocated. His fingers tugged on her chest wrappings, impatient. As she twisted to undo them, he kissed her collar bone, tearing away the wrappings the instant they slackened. He took a moment to admire her in his lap, bare-chested, eyes clouded with lust. He ran his tongue over her nipple and sucked. She began to moan.

Movements rough, he dragged Sakura’s hips down to close the space between her body and the aching arousal between his legs. She rocked against him, and he let out a strangled gasp, unprepared for the sudden friction and heat.

Gripping her waist, Sasuke forced her to still her movements. She resisted, grunting in protest. Then he stroked her, just once, between her legs. She cried out again.

Breathing uneven, she rolled her hips, coaxing him to keep touching her. His hand remained motionless. Sakura scowled at his smug face. She whined, “ _Sasuke_ ,” pressing his hand tighter between her legs.

He gaped at the sight of Sakura, undone, pleading with him to touch her. His hand plunged past the waistband of the pants and undershorts that she had borrowed from him. He stroked her clit, marveling at her wetness as his fingers glided through her folds.

At the first touch, she went limp with pleasure, swaying. She could barely stay upright. His fingers felt so good. Sasuke eased off the rest of her clothes and removed his as well. He guided her body down on the bed and stretched out beside her. Lying upon the rumpled sheets, Sasuke admired the curves of her bare body. He felt the notches of her ribs, the dip of her waist, and the curve of her hips. He moved around to her ass and squeezed the flesh he found there.

Leaning over her, he kissed her. He teased her again with a maddeningly slow pace, his thumb moving in circles.

She released a loud moan when his pace finally increased. A coil began to tighten inside Sakura, pressure building. Sasuke couldn’t stop touching her, watching her pelvis writhe against his hand, her mouth open, her hands squeezed into fists.

“Wait,” she gasped. Sakura climbed on top of Sasuke and hovered. He groaned. His erection twitched, leaking stickiness onto his stomach. He clutched her ass, aware of every particle of air in between them, beseeching her to drop down into his lap.

Straddling him, she gave his hard length a preliminary stroke.

His mouth fell open. Sakura pumped him, slowly, enjoying the feel of his hardness in her tight grip. She picked up her pace, stroking him hard and fast, then teased him with delicate fingertips, watching his breath catch and his brow furrow. Lost to her touch, Sasuke saw nothing but a blinding white light when she guided him between her legs.

To his shock, she rubbed herself upon his throbbing dick. Her wetness covered his length as she moved back and forth, pleasuring herself.

“Sakura,” he growled. She slid him between her wet folds and rubbed her clit with the sensitive head of his erection, whimpering. He moaned in frustration. “Sakura, don’t tease me.” He did not know how much more of this he could take.

Hearing him say her name in that voice, she grew instantly wetter. She perched directly above him and his tip to her entrance.

She lowered herself. She gasped as she sank down, acclimating to the feeling of being stretched and filled.

Feeling her warm tightness descending over him, Sasuke fought to control himself. He waited for her in agony.

Sakura bent to kiss him, and her hips began to move. She sighed into the kiss as his length began to rub at the right spot inside her.

He groaned and buried his face into her neck. It felt too good already. She rocked against him, still filled to the hilt.

Sakura leaned back from his embrace. She lifted herself up, thighs quivering, and then sank down again. He breathed a curse. The sight of their connected bodies, of her breasts shaking as she moved up and down on his dick, was too much. Sasuke met her hips with a thrust. He could no longer stand to be at the mercy of her slow movements. He was awarded with a loud cry. He plunged into her again and again. Nails digging into her skin, he fucked her at the pace he wanted.

With each movement of their bodies, a delicious pressure curled inside her. Sakura tensed, and Sasuke felt her tighten around him. As her back arched, mouth opening in silent cries, he reached out his thumb out to stroke her clit.

She sobbed out, coming hard, dizzy and completely lost. Sasuke touched her, until too sensitive to continue, she flung his hand away.

Flipping her onto her back and spreading her legs open, Sasuke’s hips bucked, no longer in control of his movements, and he reached his peak. His body shook with his orgasm. He collapsed, gasping into her neck, still twitching inside her.

They stayed like this, limbs tangled, skin too hot, their chests heaving.

Finally, they pulled away. They lay next to each other, breathing. A fine sheen of sweat covered Sakura’s skin. She propped herself up on one elbow.

“We should clean up. Your hair’s a mess,” she informed Sasuke, brushing his dark hair off his brow.

Sasuke closed his eyes. It was nice the way her fingernails were massaging his scalp. He told her, “I like that.”

*

*

*

*


	7. Chapter 7

They shared his bed. The night was quiet. Sasuke was not asleep when Sakura shook his shoulder.

“Sasuke,” she urged. “I know what to do.” Her eyes shone in the dark.

“Hm?”

“To make the village safe for you. And your clan.”

“Don’t, Sakura,” he warned. Sasuke could not allow himself to be filled with her hope. It was already hard enough to hold her knowing she could not stay.

“Please listen to me,” she insisted.

She told him her idea. 

They talked until dawn.

*

Sakura and Sasuke left for Konoha.

Sakura had some conversations.

She gathered a group.

They went to the elders.

Sakura announced, “I’m here to discuss reparations for the Uchiha clan.”

Unhappy murmurings filled the council room. “With all due respect, Sakura-san, what business is this of yours?” asked Ito-sama, the head of the council.

“The future wellbeing of the Uchiha line is a matter that interests many leaf shinobi,” she replied. She gestured to the crowd behind her.

Knowing Sakura’s reputation, and with the added pressure of a crowd, the council relented.

“I’m giving the floor to Uchiha Sasuke to list his demands,” Sakura stated.

Sakura turned to find Sasuke. He moved to join her on the floor through a tense silence. The elders had not expected him.

Sasuke met Sakura’s gaze for a moment, steeling himself. Then he began.

“A law will pass immediately in Konoha that outlaws organized violence against its own citizens.

“No clan shall be forced to live in isolation from the rest of the village. Representatives from each clan will form their own council to discuss and quell conflicts and disagreement before they arise.

“No shinobi of any clan shall be forced to act in service to the village against their clan.

“Konoha will formally apologize for its role in the massacre of the Uchiha clan. The village will also formally apologize to Uchiha Itachi.

“The history of the Uchiha clan will be taught at the academy to all shinobi to ensure the tragedy will never be forgotten or repeated.

“Future descendants of the Uchiha clan—and members of all clans—will have the right to choose when, if ever, to invoke their bloodline traits in service of the village.”

The room held its breath.

Ito-sama said, “We will need time to consider the possibility of this request.”

Sakura bowed in deference. Except a soft ring in his ears, Sasuke could feel nothing at all.

Their friends and teammates had gathered. Naruto and Hinata. Choji, Ino, and Shikamaru. Sakura’s whole team of medical shinobi. Tsunade and Kakashi. Their murmurs of displeasure filled the room. Words loaded on their tongues. They prepared to fire their voices in solidarity.

Sakura wasn’t done.

“Thank you for your time, council. We understand completely. Ito-sama, how is your wife?” she suddenly wondered. “I hope the ache in her knee has cleared?”

The councilman blinked at her inquisitive face, then answered, “She is well after the treatment you gave her.”

Sakura beamed at him. “I’m very happy to hear that. Nakamura-sama, is your son still teething?”

One by one, she called out to each member of the council with a voice like sugar. She reminded them of all the times she had personally benefitted the lives of them and their families. Once they were shifting uncomfortably, Sakura smiled. “It is my great honor to serve not only you and your families, but all citizens of Konoha—and to train the next generation of medical shinobi.” She lowered her head. “My whole team cares _deeply_ about this issue, of course. Healing and justice are intertwined efforts. We will wait eagerly to hear your decision.”

Sakura was the picture of innocence. The councilmembers became very aware of all the medical ninja in the crowd.

It was no hidden secret that in a few short years, Sakura had advanced the medical systems and infrastructure of the village decades into the future. The rate of mortality on missions had lowered significantly thanks to her work.

It was also no secret that Sakura had hand-picked and trained a majority of the shinobi that now staffed the Konoha hospital and were deployed on missions. Her team was indebted and loyal to her.

Konoha would fall apart without Sakura and her subordinates.

She had leveraged all of her power.

The council stewed.

* * * *

They were Genin.

Sakura and Sasuke sparred while Naruto and Kakashi observed from afar.

No matter what she did, Sasuke always managed to duck behind her and win the fight. After many rounds with the same outcome, he scolded, “Maybe if you just kept an eye on your opponent, you wouldn’t lose all the time.”

Sakura clenched her fists at her side. “You’re being really mean today,” she snapped.

“You’re so annoying.”

“ _You’re_ not that great _either_ , Sasuke!”

They fumed.

He lunged again at her. Pooling chakra in the soles of her feet, she bounded up the side of a nearby tree. Jumping off as hard as she could, she sprung into the air and landed on her feet behind him. She touched the tip of a kunai between his shoulder blades.

The clone substitution disappeared with a puff.

Panting, she spun around to find him. She braced herself for how he might berate her next.

“I _told_ you to keep an eye on your enemy,” he said. She started to scowl. He caught her off guard with a smile. His eyes glinted with pride.

*

Sasuke held a kunai to her throat. With any wrong move his blade would cut her. He bared his teeth in a cruel smile. For the first time, she was afraid of him. This moment never left her nightmares.

*

In an uncertain alliance, they fought together on the battlefield. Sakura released her full strength. She healed battalions without breaking a sweat. She ripped open the earth like ripping paper.

To Naruto and Sasuke’s astonished faces, she growled, “Do you think Tsunade is the only Legendary Sanin who failed to teach her student?”

*

Sasuke had given up on his revenge.

“I’m sorry,” he told her for the first time.

Sakura was not ready to forgive him. She did not care if his apology was sincere. She was so angry.

“You fucking better be sorry,” she snarled.

She could not stop crying.

*

The war was over. Sasuke did not stay in the village. She did not expect him to, even though she asked him to stay. His absence had not been an anomaly for a long time.

Sakura had her studies and responsibilities, friends and family to worry about. She had ideas on how to make Konoha better and safer for all shinobi.

News of Sasuke’s whereabouts and activities sometimes found their way to Sakura, scrambled through dozens of sources. Only on difficult nights did she wonder if he would return.

*

Years passed. They were adults.

He came back to the village one spring evening. Naruto showed up after a long hospital shift to tell her the news.

Sakura did not seek him out. First her commitments at the hospital prevented her, and then her apprehension prevented her.

The moment they finally saw each other was unplanned, under a blossoming tree on the outskirts of the village.

Sakura couldn’t decide how to proceed. Anger was familiar and safe. It would feel good, and he spoke the language. Kindness was unpredictable. Did she have kindness left for him?

He stood with his arms crossed, eyebrows drawn together, his mouth weighed down in a frown. They appraised each other. If she didn’t know any better, she’d call him indifferent, cold.

His eyes gave him away. They were too bright. He was waiting for her decision.

She hated him. They were tied together. She was not ready to be close again. She’d always loved him.

She made a choice.

“I’m glad you’re safe,” she said.

Sasuke uncrossed his arms.

He said, “Sakura.”

* * * *

The council had to decide. They could pass laws and meet demands that should have already been fulfilled. Or they could refuse and fall out of Sakura’s good will. They might lose the best medical shinobi in the village and arguably the known world. They risked upsetting the many shinobi who followed her, the very people who ensured the safety, health, and well-being of the entire village.

It came down to this: Konoha could not afford to fall out of Sakura’s good will.

*

The agreement was drawn on the spot and all conditions were met.

In one afternoon, Sasuke and Sakura secured the legal safety and autonomy of the future Uchiha line.

When the crowd erupted in boisterous celebration, Sakura felt dizzy.

The work was not done. Sakura thought of how else she might transform the village. She would disband the village council, for one. She would tear down the structures of power that had enabled even the thought of an organized massacre. She thought about what she wanted for her future. Her children’s future. She reimagined the world. She would start tomorrow.

The room faded away. All she could see was Sasuke, all she could feel was his light touch on her arm.

For now, Sasuke was home.

*

When it was officially done, Sasuke reached out for Sakura to steady himself. He was no longer in the room. He could only see the faces that made up his clan. His mother and father. Itachi. He saw a life spent with Sakura. He saw small hands helping in the garden.

*

*

*

*

 _Fin_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All I wanted is for Sakura and Sasuke to find themselves in a world where they could be honestly and fully together. So they made that world themselves.
> 
>  **References:**  
>  1\. In Chapter 3, as I already mentioned, the moment where Sasuke tells Sakura what he’s heard of her abilities was inspired heavily by a scene in _Folklore_ by the author BlushingLotus.  
> 2\. Other elements of this fic (like Sasuke’s turmoil over the future wellbeing of his children) were inspired by _where the daylight begins_ by ohwhatsherface (sun-summoning on tumblr)  
> 3\. The smut fic that first got me interested in SasuSaku was _Hot Water_ by WellHowAboutThat.
> 
> I am so grateful to these talented authors for their inspiration in my writing and wanted to give credit where it is due. If you enjoyed this fic, definitely read the work by these authors as well! They have been writing SasuSaku for longer than I have. Their work is all on FFN.
> 
> This fic was the first piece of creative writing I've done in years. It wrote itself. 
> 
> Thank you so much everyone for following along. Please leave a comment and let me know if you’d like to see more SasuSaku from me. I hope you are all safe and well, and I’m sending you all my love.
> 
> (PS--I recently made a tumblr, also catflorist!)


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